Chelsea’s spluttering Premier League marketing campaign took a flip for the more severe as Serge Aurier’s equaliser gave lowly Nottingham Forest a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Raheem Sterling put Chelsea forward on the Metropolis Floor within the first half of their opening sport in 2023.
However Ivory Coast right-back Aurier levelled after the break and Chelsea have been lucky to flee with out an embarrassing defeat after Forest dominated for lengthy spells within the second half.
Chelsea are languishing in eighth place after failing to win for the sixth time of their final seven league video games.
The Blues are seven factors adrift of fourth positioned Manchester United within the race to qualify for the Champions League through a prime 4 end.
Simply months after changing the sacked Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea boss Graham Potter is beginning to come below fireplace because the early optimism after his transfer from Brighton begins to fade.
Chelsea’s 2-0 win in opposition to Bournemouth on Boxing Day was supposed to supply hope of a brighter interval in 2023.
However whereas it’s certainly too early for Potter to be apprehensive about dropping the primary high-pressure job of his profession, the 47-year-old wants an uptick in leads to the brand new yr to keep away from placing Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly in an ungainly place.
Forest are third backside having received simply three video games all season, however boss Steve Cooper will take coronary heart from the best way his workforce rattled Chelsea within the second half.
The one darkish cloud for Forest was the alleged homophobic chanting from house supporters that earned condemnation from LGBTQ teams.
Brennan Johnson threatened an early aim for Forest when he sprinted away from Marc Cucurella and Thiago Silva, however Kepa Arrizabalaga sparred his team-mates’ blushes with an excellent save.
If that was a fortunate break for Chelsea, Potter’s facet loved a good higher stroke of fine fortune as they took the lead within the sixteenth minute.
Christian Pulisic’s cross in the direction of Kai Havertz was deflected by Forest defender Willy Boly’s out-stretched foot, with the ball looping onto the crossbar and bouncing down completely for the unmarked Sterling to slam house from close-range.
– Forest fightback –
It was Sterling’s first league aim since August and solely the sixth in all competitions for the England ahead since his close-season transfer from Manchester Metropolis.
After his World Cup marketing campaign with England was disrupted when he needed to fly house when his household’s home was burgled by armed robbers, Sterling will hope a troublesome season is taking a flip for the higher.
Cesar Azpilicueta’s long-range effort deflected huge off Forest’s Renan Lodi earlier than Pulisic shot straight at Dean Henderson as Chelsea chased a second aim earlier than half-time.
However Chelsea’s first half superiority rapidly pale after the interval.
Kepa got here to Chelsea’s rescue with an outstanding save after Johnson accelerated onto Morgan Gibbs-White’s move and unleashed a stinging shot.
Chelsea have been on the ropes and Gibbs-White was inches away from an equaliser when he met Ryan Yates’ move with a sweetly-timed strike that cannoned off the bar and bounced to security.
With Chelsea unusually subdued within the second half, Forest’s stress paid off within the 63rd minute.
Boly out-jumped Pulisic to go a nook in the direction of Aurier, who deftly managed on his chest earlier than volleying by means of Kepa’s legs from 5 yards.
Aurier’s first aim for Forest since his September transfer from Villarreal left Chelsea reeling.
Potter despatched on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech and Conor Gallagher, however Yates may have received it for Forest when he scuffed simply huge.
Aubameyang’s disappointing spell at Chelsea hit a brand new low when the Gabon ahead headed huge from close-range with Pulisic in a greater place to transform Ziyech’s cross.
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